Moments
by panaginip02
Summary: Short stories about the friendship between Hitsugaya and Hinamori from their Rukongai days up to their current careers in the Gotei 13. Chapter 4 up 4606!
1. BedWetter Momo

Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine.

Chapter 1: Bed-wetter Momo

"Good night, Hinamori," grandmother said gently at the foot of the bedroom door.

"Oyasumi, obaa-san," Hinamori murmured sleepily from her futon, snuggling to her blanket as much as possible. It had been an exhausting day of playing with the other children in the town, and now she was more than ready for a good night's rest. Hinamori heard the elderly woman close the door and shuffle off into her own room. Immediately, Hinamori shifted in bed and looked through the darkness for the room's other occupant.

"Shiro-chan? I know you're awake," Hinamori whispered in a playful sort of tone.

A couple of feet away, a scraggly, white-haired boy turned to face his longtime friend.

"How did you know I wasn't sleeping?" Hitsugaya asked crankily as he ran a hand through his hair, making it messier than it was a moment before.

Hinamori let out a giggle as she walked to sit down next to him. "I know for a fact that you snore when you sleep. I heard you the last time I slept over."

Was that true?

Hitsugaya sprang up from his bed on the floor and went into defensive mode. "I don't snore!" he protested.

"How would you know if you don't? After all, people don't know what they do in their sleep unless other people tell them," Hinamori replied cheerfully, knowing that she would win this little argument.

Hitsugaya thought hard for a minute to find a way to get back at Hinamori, but to his dismay, he couldn't find anything insulting to say. With a "hmph", Hitsugaya laid back on his futon and covered his blanket over his head.

Hinamori frowned. "Mou…" Her dearest friend could be so cold sometimes, she thought as she watched the young boy's chest gently rise and fall as he inhaled and exhaled.

"Shiro-chan…" Hinamori said playfully, reaching out for the white hair that she loved to play with so much. But before Hitsugaya could reply, they heard grandmother's door open. Not having enough time to scamper back to her own futon, Hinamori lay down next to Hitsugaya and pretended to be sleeping. Hinamori heard grandmother softly tut as she checked on the two children.

"Now how did she get all the way there?"

Listening to her surroundings, Hinamori realized that grandmother picked up Hinamori's futon and brought it over to where she was laying down. She soon felt her bed underneath her and a blanket on top. As soon as Hinamori sensed that grandmother left, she cuddled closer to her young friend.

"I'm cold, Shiro-chan," she said sleepily.

"And you're too close for comfort," Hitsugaya answered back a few moments later.

Hinamori was too tired to start an argument. "Oyasumi, Shiro-chan."

If Hitsugaya returned the greeting, Hinamori did not hear because as soon as she uttered those words, she drifted off to sleep.

Late the following morning, Hitsugaya woke up to find Hinamori still fast asleep. However, a few moments later, Hitsugaya realized that while they were sleeping, they had moved closer to each other. Getting to the point, Hinamori's face was perhaps centimeters away from his own. Too close for comfort yet again. Hitsugaya looked up at the ceiling to resist himself from looking at her sleep. But that didn't change the fact that Hinamori was still right there next to him. Even in her sleep, Hinamori couldn't stay away from him, huh?

Some time later, Hitsugaya sensed Hinamori stir.

"Are you okay?'

Hinamori was now awake and looking at Hitsugaya with a curious expression on her face.

"You're too close, baka," Hitsugaya said crossly.

Hinamori looked a little hurt by Hitsugaya's comment, but shifted back onto her own futon.

But something didn't feel right.

She stood up to see if there was anything wrong with her futon. Upon seeing that nothing looked strange, she pulled back her blankets.

"Aiee! Obaa-san!" Hinamori screamed, throwing her blankets onto the floor as she fled from the room.

Displeased with the interruption, Hitsugaya sat up quite frustratedly. "I get no peace when I'm with you, do I, Momo?" he shouted in the bedroom door's direction.

Curious as to what had made Hinamori scream, he leaned over to pick up the blanket Hinamori had cast on the floor. A few moments later, a mischievous grin spread across his face.

"Oi! Bed-wetter Momo! You have some laundry to do!"


	2. Spring Breezes

Author's note: Thanks for those who had reviewed the first chapter! Sorry that I didn't get this up sooner… actually, the first three chapters are actually on livejournal and I decided to move the story over here. Winter vacation just got to me, I guess, hehe. For those who have read this on livejournal, you'll notice that I added a little extra part to the beginning of this chapter because I thought my original beginning sounded a little weird. ; Thanks for all your support and enjoy chapter 2!

Chapter 2: Spring Breezes

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine. Boo. But I do own the character that I made up for this chapter.

Rukongai was usually very quiet in the morning. But there were a few times in the year when it sounded as though a whole parade of elephants stormed through. Actually, for those who cared, it was actually children who were aspiring to be shinigami. The school was located within Seireitei, so at the beginning and end of the school year and vacations, the four gate guardians would open the gates for the hundreds of shinigamis-to-be. Many people within Rukongai loved to sit on their porches and watch the children go to and from the Academy, and Hinamori watched them every year without fail.

The spring following her bed-wetting incident, Hinamori emerged from her home one morning to watch the students leave, only to be met with dozens of cherry blossom petals flying in the soft breeze. All the petals dancing in the wind; it was like watching snow fall, except that these 'snowflakes' were, well, pink. She let out a giggle as she opened her hand to try catch some of the petals, but stopped as she heard someone call out her name.

"Hinamori-chan!"

That was a voice that she hadn't heard in months. Hinamori turned to see a girl just about her age dressed in a uniform that she had seen some other children wearing over the past few hours. After a moment, Hinamori remembered who the girl was standing in front of her.

'Ah, Nakamura-chan!" Hinamori exclaimed happily.

"I'm gong to the Shinou Institute starting today to enter the Gotei 13," Nakamura announced proudly.

"Ah…So that's why I haven't seen you in a while," Hinamori thought out loud, nodding.

Nakamura nodded. "Ever since I found out that I had reiatsu last summer, I'd been studying for the entrance exam. I just took it last week. Do you have any reiatsu?" she asked eagerly.

Actually, Hinamori didn't know if she had any.

"Oy, Bed-Wetter Momo, you know that you have petals caught in your hair, right?"

Hinamori didn't even need to guess who just walked up to her. Smiling, she sifted just once through her hair and was rather delighted to see several pink, delicate petals in her hand.

Then Hinamori realized what Hitsugaya had just called her and her cheeks turned a darker pink than of the petals in her hand.

She turned away from Nakamura and turned to her neighbor, who was standing next to her and looking rather sour.

"Mou… I told you not to call me that in public, Shiro-chan!"

Nakamura could do nothing but awkwardly look on as Hinamori and Hitsugaya argued about the nicknames they had created for each other. It was just a weird feeling, she thought, but even though they were arguing, there was something about the two of them together that she just couldn't put her finger on…

A bell rang throughout the town, indicating there was an hour left before the Institute's welcoming ceremonies. Nakamura frowned. She had wanted to talk to Hinamori a little more and contemplate the relationship between the pair, but if she didn't leave Rukongai as soon as possible, she would be late.

"Sorry Hinamori-chan, but I'm going to be late," she said, bowing.

But she hadn't been heard; Hinamori and Hitsugaya were still bickering. Sighing, she stepped onto Hinamori's porch and tugged at Hitsugaya's sleeve.

"Is it possible that you stop arguing for a minute so I can say goodbye to my friend?"

Hitsugaya diverted his attention to Nakamura. "And who are you that you need to say goodbye to her?" he asked her coolly, his gaze hardening by the second.

Nakamura's eyes widened. How unfriendly he was!

"Shiro-chan!" Hinamori scolded, looking disappointedly at Hitsugaya, who merely glared back at her.

Hinamori turned and bowed apologetically to Nakamura. "Sorry; Shiro-chan usually isn't like this and he will apologize to you."

"For what?" Hitsugaya protested, looking up at Hinamori.

Nakamura shook her head and smiled cheerfully. "He doesn't need to apologize. But I really must get going."

Hinamori stood up again and smiled. "Thank you for coming by to visit! Have a good school year and visit when you have a day off. We'd love to hear stories!" she said, beaming.

Nakamura laughed. "Of course I'll come visit!"

She stepped off Hinamori's porch and started running towards the gate. Waving goodbye, Hinamori watched Nakamura until she disappeared amongst the many houses.

"What made you think I'd want to listen to her stories?" Hitsugaya asked Hinamori crossly.

'You don't want to know what life is like outside of Rukongai?" she asked curiously.

Hitsugaya shook his head. 'I like it here and I want to stay here until I die," he said firmly.

Hinamori sighed as she sat on the edge of her porch. Hitsugaya then did the same, sitting next to Hinamori. Almost immediately, he felt Hinamori's hand gently sift through his hair.

"Shiro-chan?' she said in a soft whisper.

"Mm?" _Here we go, another confession,_ he thought.

"I wonder if either of us has reiatsu." Hinamori stated quietly.

Hitsugaya had heard about reiatsu somewhere, but didn't know the significance behind it. "Why would you think about that?"

"If we have it, we can become shinigami…"

Hitsugaya didn't answer, so she tried again. "I love being in Rukongai too, but I don't think I'd be able to stay in this town for the rest of my life. And admit it, Shiro-chan: you've thought about becoming a shinigami."

Hitsugaya jerked away from Hinamori and she drew her hand away from his hair as he glared at her. "Have not."

Hinamori looked at her friend in disbelief as the warm spring breeze blew past them.

_We're going to part ways someday, won't we? Just as the petals fall off the tires and fly off wherever the wind takes them…_

Remembering that she still had petals in her hand, she opened her palm and let the breeze carry the petals away.


	3. Stepping Onto Another Path

Author's note: Many thanks to Yumichi for reviewing chapter 2! I'm still working on chapter 4, so I can't promise that it'll be up soon, but I'll try! Also, from this point in my fic, I was planning on spending more time writing about events within the school… if there's any other kind of event you guys would like to see me write, let me know and I'll see if I can write it! I'm hoping that the chapters in this fic will all be in chronological order, but we'll see.

And yes, there are slight changes from when I uploaded chapter 3 on livejournal some time ago, for those who were wondering.

Please take the time to review! They are very much appreciated! And do not hesitate to point out any errors I made!

Disclaimer- Bleach isn't mine.

Chapter 3- Stepping Onto Another Path

It was weird without Hinamori, Hitsugaya admitted. She had left for the Academy a week ago and it'd be a few months before she'd be able to visit Rukongai. Hinamori had also been his only friend, so he was bored more than anything else. But considering Hitsugaya's personality, that's something he would probably never admit.

Of course, he had been given the opportunity to make new friends; Hinamori had taken him around the town to introduce him to other children, but Hitsugaya's cold, grumpy personality wasn't very appealing to everyone who met him, both young and old. He remembered Hinamori putting her hands on her hips exasperatedly after one such time.

Flashback 

"Mou, Shiro-chan! Why do you have to be so unfriendly to everybody? I don't want to hear that you're spending all your time alone after I leave," she had said one winter afternoon as they walked back to Hitsugaya's home.

Hitsugaya looked at her crossly. "Then don't become a shinigami," he replied flatly. Hinamori opened her right hand, focused her sight on her palm, and seconds later, a ball of spiritual energy formed.

"Not everyone has reiatsu; such a rare gift should not be wasted, right?"

Hitsugaya let out a grunt, which Hinamori took as a yes.

End Flashback 

All he had left was grandmother, but Hitsugaya feared that her life would soon come to its end. True, Hinamori would be able to visit Rukongai during school vacations, but once she graduated and became an actual shinigami, then she'd probably never be able to visit. From the current circumstances, Hitsugaya knew his future would be a lonely one. Even though Hinamori had helped him before, perhaps he should find something to do.

"I'm going out for a walk," he informed grandmother, who had been sitting next to him on the porch of their home.

Grandmother smiled. "Toushirou, you miss Hinamori-chan that much, don't you?"

Hitsugaya hopped off the porch and looked at her.

"What does that have to do with me wanting to go out for a walk?"

"But doesn't it feel different without your best friend?" grandmother asked knowingly.

Hitsugaya immediately shook his head. "Not particularly."

He wandered to the outskirts of town where there was a large grassy field and a river in which children liked to try and catch fish. Yes, that's what he would do for the rest of the day. He would catch as many fish as possible. Oh boy. With a bored expression on his face, Hitsugaya waded into the bitterly cold water.

As he looked down and around for fish, some shadowy figures in the distance spotted him from a distance.

"I know for a fact that scrawny kid has no reiatsu. If he catches any fish, I'm taking it all," one of the shadowy figures said with a scornful laugh.

Three hours later, Hitsugaya looked at the dozens of fish he had tossed into a couple of buckets he found nearby. Most of the fishes were a particular type that Hinamori really liked to eat. He didn't get why Hinamori ate food; Hitsugaya and everyone else in the town was doing just fine without it.

"Now, what is a scrawny kid like you doing with all that fish when you don't have reiatsu?" a scathing voice spoke from above.

Sensing danger, Hitsugaya tensed up. "These fishes are not for you," he said coldly.

He heard a rustle from a nearby tree and a few seconds later, saw an older boy standing in front of him, looking extremely pissed off. "What did you say?"

Hitsugaya looked at him coolly. "I have no need to repeat what I said."

His attitude made the older boy even more furious. "You ought to respect your elders. Now, hand me all that fish you caught," he said haughtily, his eyes angrily flashing at the small Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya turned from the older boy and turned to the buckets of fish he had earlier put off to the side. He took hold of one of the wriggling fish and tossed it to the elder boy.

He looked at the fish in disdain. It was rather small and he could have sworn that the fish was staring at him. He threw the fish onto the ground and menacingly advanced towards Hitsugaya, who was looking rather unfazed.

"Nobody treats Hayashi Akira like a fool!" the older boy roared. He raised his right arm and swung it with all his might, aiming it for the skinny boy's stomach. But that's what happened to him instead.

Hayashi looked up from the dusty ground at Hitsugaya, who was trying to hide how pleased he was with himself as he examined his fist.

"Impossible," Hayashi thought, with nothing but fear in his eyes and a throbbing pain in his abdomen.

Hitsugaya managed to get the fish to his home, only to be met with genuine surprise from grandmother.

"Toushirou! Why so much fish?" she exclaimed.

Hitsugaya looked at her passively. "I was bored, obaa-san." He couldn't think of anything else to cover the truth. He really had been bored, as much as he hated to admit it.

"That's besides the point, Toushirou. Neither you or I have reiatsu, so there's no need for us to have food here with Hinamori away at school," grandmother reasoned.

"So? We can send it to her."

Grandmother had a sudden image of a pile of fish in Hinamori's dormitory room.

"I'll talk to the town leader and see what he can do."

The sun was just beginning to set as Hinamori waved a goodbye to some of her classmates and entered her dormitory room. After classes, there had been a meeting for all the first-years about the various opportunities they would have upon graduating from the Academy. Hinamori was dizzy from all the information the dean and other important guests had thrown at them. She was initially quite sure that she wanted to go into the Gotei 13, but now she wasn't quite so sure. She wasn't as good at swordwork as well as she hoped she was, but at least her kidou skills made up for that. Hinamori placed her books on her desk and plopped onto her bed. Her room was much nicer than the one she had back in Rukongai, but she missed the atmosphere where it was all about spending time with friends rather than schoolwork.

And she missed her Shiro-chan, that was for sure. As she rested her head on her pillow, she thought back on the last time she had seen him. She had ruffled his hair right before she left; it was quite a comical sight, really. And then when he had told her not to come back to Rukongai… of course he didn't mean it, right? If she didn't go back, then who would Hinamori have as a friend? Yes, Hinamori made many friends at school, but she felt that the friendship she and Hitsugaya was one of those that would genuinely last.

Somebody knocked on her door, causing Hinamori to sit up straight. "Who is it?"

The door opened and one of Hinamori's female classmates poked her head through the opening. "Hinamori-chan, you should see what's going on outside! Come on!" she exclaimed.

Hinamori curiously got up on her feet and followed her classmate out to the hallway. A bunch of the other girls in her year were also there and sticking their heads out of the windows to have a better look at what was going on.

"No need to guess what we're having for dinner tonight."

"Are you crazy? That's not even enough to feed all the first years!"

"Hmph…I was never a fan of seafood anyway.'

Wanting to see what everyone else was seeing, Hinamori made her way through the swarm of other girls to get to the front and poked her head outside the window.

Heading for the entrance of school escorted by some sixth years and teachers, she saw a man whom she recognized as the leader of her village. The sixth years were carrying what seemed to be a few baskets of fish preserved with ice cubes.

Then a gruff,male voice sounded through the PA.

"Would Hinamori Momo please come to the front entrance of the Academy? Hinamori Momo to the front entrance."

Many of the girls turned towards her, curious for an explanation. Hinamori's eyes widened! She had no idea herself why this was all going on! Before the girls could see her turn bright red, she made a dash towards the closest stairway.

Hinamori bowed as the group reached the front entrance. "Kobayashi-san! I'm surprised to see you here!" she said with a smile, trying to hide the fact that she was still in a state of embarrassment from what happened in the dormitories.

The elderly town leader smiled at Hinamori. "A generous gift from Hitsugaya-kun," he said, pointing to the baskets of fish the sixth years were still holding. "but there was a lot more before. If only Hitsugaya-kun hadn't gotten so hungry and decided to eat some of it."

Hinamori laughed. 'Well of course it's okay if he eats!"

Then it hit her.

Did her Shiro-chan have reiatsu?

"Hinamori-chan? Are you alright?" Kobayashi asked. The girl looked like her birthday had just come a few months early.

Hinamori snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. One of her teachers stepped forward.

"Hinamori, perhaps we should have these fishes sent to the kitchen? Then perhaps they can be ready by dinnertime."

As she ate fish with some friends later on that evening, she thought of her white-haired friend happily. Perhaps he would be able to enter the Academy next year!


	4. Change

Author's note: There isn't a lot said about where everything is located in Soul Society, so I just made some stuff up. So if you guys read something that you've never heard before, don't take it as canon information! Sorry for making you all wait so long for this chapter! School's just been really busy. School has to come before fanfiction writing, right? This chapter's more of Hinamori-centric. Gomen nasai! I assure you all that he'll show up more in the next chapter, which I just got an idea for. Yay! Final exams start in a little more than a month, so I can't promise an update anytime soon. But I'll try!

Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine. What a shame.

Moments

Chapter 4- Change

It was early July and a month since Class 1-1 had ventured into the world of the living to practice soul burials and been saved from the hollows by Aizen-taichou and Ichimaru fukutaichou.

And dear Hinamori was obsessed.

Instead of going straight to her room after classes ended for the day, she went to the library, poring over books covering recent happenings within the Gotei 13. She wanted to learn as much as she possibly could about Aizen-taichou; such information was what she craved more than anything. It was a miracle she was able to keep her grades up, some of her friends thought. They tried to divert her attention by giggling and talking about the attractive boys in the school, but their attempts weren't successful.

It she wasn't finding things out about Aizen-taichou, she was telling stories about a friend in Rukongai whom she referred to as 'Shiro-chan'. But such stories were being told less frequently as time went by.

If her friends heard any news about the Gotei 13 taichous visiting the Academy, particularly Aizen-taichou, they did their best to conceal the information from Hinamori. At least they rarely visited and students didn't have to deal with anything outside of school until after their fifth year.

And thank goodness summer break was finally approaching. All of the students were glad to hear of it. The weather was getting pleasantly warmer with each day and the students were paying more attention to the progression of nature outside rather than the classes they dragged themselves to each morning. Further excursions into the world of the living for soul burial practice were cancelled until the school administration found a place that they determined to be more suitable. At least that meant that their evenings were free again. What would have been their excursions into the living world, the members of 1-1 discussed their summer plans. They were allowed to stay in the dormitories, particularly those who came from the less pleasant areas of Rukongai. Hinamori was more than eager to go back to Rukongai, she had so many stories to tell her Shiro-chan! But she admitted that she would miss Abarai-kun and Kira-kun. In the past month, the three of them had quickly become close friends. Abarai-kun had chosen to stay in school than go back to Rukongai and Kira-kun was going back home; as a lower-class noble, his home was not located within Rukongai. Life in Seireitei was just so busy, and she found it so peculiar that people within Rukongai seemed oblivious to everything going on within Seireitei. But even then, the Academy seemed so far away from Seireitei. Hinamori hadn't seen Aizen-taichou since the Hollow incident and she was terribly anxious to see him again. One afternoon, Hinamori was in the library looking for more information about Aizen-taichou, but she wasn't having much luck. Hinamori admitted to herself that she had probably gathered all the information that existed on him. Convinced that was true, she resigned herself to sitting down at one of the tables and began to stare out a nearby open window. The transparent red window curtains danced in the air as a breeze gently flew by. Hinamori felt a sense of peace wash over her as the breeze continued to blow and cause some of the outdoor wind chimes to begin their pretty, dainty music. How she loved summer…

"You haven't prepared to go home yet?" a familiar voice asked.

Hinamori opened her eyes to see Abarai Renji looking at her quizzically from the entrance of the library. She smiled and shook her head.

"I don't have a lot to pack, so it's not a problem if I wait until tonight to gather everything together."

Renji nodded. "Well, in that case, are you up for some sword practice before it gets dark?"

"Eh? Didn't you ask Kira-kun earlier?"

Renji pressed his hand to his forehead and grunted. "Che. The idiot backed out at the last minute saying that he needed to start packing. And here I was hoping for one more practice before you two go back home tomorrow morning."

He had a mad glint in his eye during the last sentence, which Hinamori didn't have a good feeling about at all. "Actually, Abarai-kun, I…"

Then one of the other girls within the library let out a soft squeal. "It's Kuchiki-fukutaichou! Did you just see him walk by?"

A couple of the girls with her began to squeal as well, annoying the old woman who had the great misfortune of being the librarian that day.

Hinamori looked confused. "Kuchiki-fukutaichou? I haven't heard of him before."

Renji's face suddenly became stern. "There are five main noble families in Soul Society; the Kuchiki clan is one of them and inarguably the greatest of the four. He is the current leader of his clan and serves as the 6th Division's Vice-Captain."

And then he realized Hinamori wasn't there sitting next to him anymore.

Silently cursing himself for noticing sooner, he went off into the hallway to look for Hinamori. He had no luck though; the hallway was swarming with girls chattering excitedly about the handsome vice-captain. He didn't dare walk through the crowd of girls; Abarai Renji was completely set on keeping his sanity.

Due to her small figure, Hinamori was able to make her way through the crowd. Since Kuchiki-fukutaichou was an important member of the Gotei 13, then he surely knew Aizen-taichou!

Then she heard several books fall to the floor.

"Ah! I'm truly sorry," a girl's voice said.

As Hinamori finally reached the end of the crowd, she saw what had happened. Abarai-kun's close friend, Rukia, had just had a run-in with the fukutaichou. Rukia must have not been aware of her surroundings and collided into him. Now Rukia was down on her knees picking up their things and one of Kuchiki fukutaichou's assistants was scolding her.

"As you are learning to become a shinigami, you should be very aware of your surroundings!" he said harshly.

However, Kuchiki-fukutaichou wasn't saying anything to add on to his assistant's comments. Rather, he was looking at Rukia in a way that Hinamori couldn't quite discern. Triumphantly, perhaps? The man's emotions were rather difficult to read. Then he and his assistants were gone. Hinamori blinked. So fast! Without a second thought, Hinamori rushed to Rukia's side.

"Ano, Rukia-san, do you need any help?"

Rukia looked up at her fellow first-year and smiled gratefully, though shaking her head. "I'm okay. Luckily I wasn't carrying too many books," she replied.

"And you didn't get hurt, did you?" Hinamori asked. She knew Renji would be worried beyond words if he found out Rukia got hurt.

Rukia shook her head again as she rose to her feet, books in her arms. "I'm fine, really."

The next morning, Hinamori had her sword put away for safe keeping and locked the door to her room. Her small bag of belongings in tow, she bounded happily to the entrance of the Academy, where hundreds of other students were waiting. Only a few minutes were left before the school gates opened and the students would be escorted by teachers on their journeys to their respective areas of Rukongai and Seireitei.

"Hinamori-san!"

At the sound of her name, she looked around to see who was trying to get her attention. Moments later, she saw Kira Izuru some feet ahead of her, waving hello.

"Kira-kun!" Hinamori beamed.

Kira was rather strange and paranoid for the most part, but she knew there were no ill meanings behind his actions. And perhaps she was mistaken, but she had the feeling that he fancied her. She made a mental note to herself that Kira-kun and Shiro-chan never meet because she knew her classmate's friendliness towards her would more than displease her grumpy neighbor.

Kira made his way to Hinamori and grinned. "Ready for vacation?"

Hinamori nodded cheerfully, then looked up at him curiously. "You told me that your parents died two years ago. So who takes care of you?"

The blonde-haired boy laughed. "I have an older sister who married into another family. She and her husband let me stay with them whenever I want."

Somewhere within the Academy's towers, a bell began to clang, indicating that the school gates could finally be opened. Several teachers stepped forward and called out which sections of Rukongai and Seireitei they would be in charge of.

Kira waved goodbye to Hinamori as his section was called. "See you in September!" he called out as he disappeared among the hundreds of students struggling to find their respective sections. Hinamori soon found hers and followed her classmates and teacher back home to Western Rukongai.

Hinamori was back in the First District of Western Rukongai a little more than an hour after the school gates opened, due to that the Academy was deep within Seireitei and that somebody in her group had misplaced her pass to Rukongai (it had been in her bag the whole time) and as a result, the group had to backtrack until the girl found out where her pass was. Immediately after setting foot within Rukongai, Hinamori noticed nothing much had changed since she left for school. There were children in the main square whom Hinamori guessed recently entered Soul Society, but otherwise they were all familiar faces. Upon reaching the center of the main square, her teacher dismissed her and her fellow schoolmates, allowing them to go on to their respective homes.

As she walked along the path that led to her neighborhood, she found herself further comparing life in Seireitei and in Rukongai. She could remember staying in bed until about mid-day, playing with Shiro-chan well into the evening, and eating meals with her co-op family. In Seireitei, she had to wake up at seven in order to show up promptly to her 8 am class. Students had an hour off for lunch and classes ended at 3 pm. Dinner was served at 5 pm and students were expected to stay in their rooms after 9 pm. Life as a shinigami wouldn't be any different except that she'd work in a division rather than going to school. Hinamori did admit to herself that life in Seireitei was horribly routine, but the things she was learning were amazing and she couldn't wait to put them to use. She often watched the sixth years fight in demonstrations held for the lowerclassmen and she along with the rest of her classmates felt as though it would be nearly impossible to reach the level of her senpais.

Hinamori was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice a certain white-haired boy who walked by, stopped, looked at her curiously, then kept on walking.

Part of him was relieved that he wasn't noticed; yet another part of him was hurt that his closest friend had not even recognized him as they walked past each other. Earlier that day, Hitsugaya had resolved that Momo never find out that he really did have reiatsu. He had heard that the village leader had told her about the day it appeared, and he was determined to make it as though that never happened. If she found out, then it would be very likely that Hinamori would find a way to make him enter the Academy next year. No. He refused to become a shinigami and that was that. Now, he figured that the amount of food eaten signified the amount of reiatsu. So if Hitsugaya descreased his food intake, the less obvious it would be to Hinamori that he had reiatsu. Right? He had experimented the week before and it had gone horribly. He had collapsed due to hunger and had finally recovered just the other day.

Then he heard his stomach growl. Hitsugaya broke into a jog and resumed his way to the market to get some food. He didn't plan on collapsing again.


End file.
